French Patent document FR-A-2736311, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,825 shows a position adjustment system using two such slides, not motorized. The male section, attached to the framework of the seat, is generally U-shaped with two flanges open at the bottom. The female section, attached to the floor of the automobile vehicle, is generally U-shaped with two flanges open at the top and generally includes, on at least one flange located on the notched flange side of the male section, a set of notches.
An elastically flexible strip is placed inside each slide and includes an end portion forming a lock, an intermediary portion and an attachment portion located at a distance from the end portion.
The lock includes crenelations which extend laterally beyond the flanges of the male section and passing through cutouts made for this purpose in the said flanges and which engage with the notches of the female section in locked position. To unlock the position adjustment system, a bar is actuated, this bar acting on the portion forming the lock of the strip to disengage the crenelations of the lock from the notches of the female section.
In the locked position of the system, all forces which tend to make the male section slide in the female section are transmitted directly from the cutouts in the male section to the crenelations of the lock and, from these, to the notches of the female section. On account of the direct proximity of the cutouts in the male section and the notches of the female section, the stresses in the flexible strip are limited only to the shear stresses of the crenelations of the lock, the other portions of the strip being submitted to no other stresses when this force is exerted.
Therefore, the attachment of the strip to the base of the male section can simply be achieved by riveting, crimping or screwing.